Fibromyalgia pain patterns

Fibromyalgia causes pain and fatigue

 

• Fibromyalgia is a combination of chronic pain in muscles, tendons, ligaments
• With Fibromyalgia IBS, CFS, Headaches, Fatigue and sleeping problems can be present
• Effects 2% of population, and 85% of them are women (Werner 2009)
• Combination or hormonal and neuro imbalances
• Presents as musculo-skeletal system pain, but is a central nervous system problem (Werner)
• Client does not get level 4 sleep to enable correct depth of rest

Fibromyalgia Symptoms:

• Changeable pain throughout the body, moving location and varying intensity, throbbing, aching, burning
• 9 pairs of predictable tender points (diag 1a) light pressure gives them acute pain
• Stiffness after resting
• Fatigue and lack of stamina
• Magnified sensitivity to light, noise, touch and pressure
• Ongoing persistant symptoms for at least 3 months

How is Fibromyalgia Diagnosed?

• A process of eliminating other conditions, eg arthritis, MS
• Difficult to identify as no abnormality in muscles is present (Walton 2011)
• pain from tender points is throughout the body

Fibromyalgia can be misdiagnosed as:

• a musclo-skeletal problem
• Doctors need to eliminate other possible conditions before diagnosis
• Massage Therapist must be aware of differences between tender points immediate acute pain on touch and trigger point deeper pain on pressure

Complications with Fibromyalgia:

• Deep sleep loss makes symptoms worse and causes depression (vicious cycle)
• Invisibility of disease makes it desperately isolating

Who gets Fibromyalgia?

• Mainly women although this could be as men do not seek help for it.
• People who overdo it and cope for years and then their health crashes
• Older people are more like to show symptoms

Prognosis for Fibromyalgia:

• Fibromyalgia can get worse or remain the same for months or years
• Fibromyalgia cases may improve with lifestyle changes or stress reduction

Who to refer Fibromyalgia clients to:

• Doctor to investigate what is wrong
• If IBS is present with Fibromyalgia, nutrition can helps with complications
• Yoga or meditation class to help with fatigue and mental/emotional distress from Fibromyalgia

How to treat Fibromyalgia:

• Medication can be helpful for Fibromyalgia
• Important to palpate the body and note which areas are specifically painful from touch and to avoid pressure, stretches and joint mobilisation that will cause pain

What treatment does Fibromyalgia need?:

• This will be an ongoing to treatment
• Pressure may be able to become deeper with ongoing sessions

Massage Techniques for Fibromyalgia:

• Hot/cold depending on the Fibromyalgia clients sensitivity to temperature
• Myofasical Release to calm the Central Nervous System
• Cranial Sacral work can stimulate the body and  invoke calm and help get client to deep levels of rest
• Initially very gentle trigger point work being careful not to confuse the tender points

Expected Outcome & Timescale if you suffer with Fibromyalgia:

It is impossible to speculate how treatment of Fibromyalgia will effect the client as so many emotional, mental and physical factors are present.  However, the techniques above will support the client in coping with their condition

 

Recommended techniques: Clinical Massage, Reflexology, Reiki